In a long-range land-to-sea (LRLS) communication using variable-time-slot-TDMA (VTS-TDMA) a Base Transceiver Station (BTS) is deployed on land and Customer Premises Equipment (CPE) is deployed out in the sea (on a ship). The CPE uses an Antenna Array (AA) to communicate with the BTS. An active AA among the AAs, with optimum signal link strength and in Line of Sight (LOS) with the BTS is used for communicating with the BTS. Mobility of ships may lead to change in the active AA. Narrow band spatial interference, persistent noise spikes, deep fading of signal on the active AA may require switching of the active AA to a neighboring AA. In the existing systems, the CPE scans every non-active AA for determining a new active AA. Further, tracking the BTS AA by a CPE AA with 4AAs, is the only solution provided by the existing systems. BTS handover may also trigger switching of the active AA. Tracking of BTS AA by switching the CPE active AA under the above-mentioned circumstances is essential to maintain the LRLS communication link between the BTS and the CPE and to sustain Service Level Agreement (SLA) or improve the Quality of Service (QoS). The SLA is a contract between a service provider (either internal or external) and an end user that defines the level of service expected from the service provider.
Intermittent tracking of the BTS AA, results in maintenance issue of SLA (service quality) at the CPE if data throughput drops below the SLA or if the LRLS connection times out and link drops. In such a scenario, there is a need to switch data-path to Very Small Aperture Terminal (VSAT) network to maintain SLA. A network re-entry to the LRLS network re-entry may trigger data-path switch back to LRLS network (from VSAT), thereby, switching back and forth of data-paths, between LRLS and VSAT channels occurs. The switching back and forth results in a “flapping” (ping-pong) effect. The flapping effect affects overall Quality of Experience (QoE). Since the LRLS operates in a shared spectrum, the channel quality becomes unpredictable as it also depends on usage of the shared spectrum by other entities. This further aggravates the flapping effect post switching of channel from VSAT to LRLS under unfavorable conditions of the LRLS channel.
Few of the existing systems use electro-mechanical means to move and aim the CPE antenna in the distant BTS direction for establishing a wireless network link with the BTS. Further, the existing systems monitor signal strength and network performance to incrementally reposition the CPE antenna to optimize throughput. Few other existing systems use Long Range Directional Wake up Radios (LDWuR) static and dynamic antenna strategies (signal processing techniques) to beam steer and identify BTS antenna direction avoiding the need for electro-mechanical steering of CPE antenna to track the BTS direction. The limitation occurs as the existing systems use motors to rotate the CPE antenna in all directions. Usage of heavier equipment (including stabilizing platforms) results in requirement of large amount of space onboard, use of additional signal processing and/or RF circuitry to track BTS antenna direction.
The information disclosed in this background of the disclosure section is only for enhancement of understanding of the general background of the invention and should not be taken as an acknowledgement or any form of suggestion that this information forms the prior art already known to a person skilled in the art.